In the healthcare environment, physicians create orders in providing overall patient care. The order may specify a drug, along with its dosage and frequency. Typically, the doctor will handwrite this order on a piece of paper. Alternatively, the physician may orally tell a nurse what to order, and the nurse will create the handwritten order. Handwritten orders must then be processed to administer the care required by the order. A risk is thus introduced that the handwritten order will not be legible, or that the handwritten order may not be complete in some respect. If the physician orally informs a nurse regarding the order, an additional risk of error is introduced in the transcription of the order by the nurse.
It would be desirable to allow the physician to place the order utilizing a computer keyboard, via a voice recognition device or other automated system. But an automated system must meet several requirements to be useful and effective. First, the automated system must take into account the time pressures associated with the provision of health care services. The system must be very user friendly, keeping in mind that the typical user will be a physician. The automated system should minimize the effort needed by the physician in the use of the system. Second, the automated system should be fast and easy to use. The physician should not be required to wait while extensive computer processing occurs. Third, the automated system should present the physician with a sorted or ranked set of options that most likely match the physician's intended order. These options should be sorted or ranked according to the most likely match for the order. Finally, the orders presented must be accurate.